PANAMA CITY — There is a chance, albeit a small one, that some of the palm trees in downtown Panama City may be kept as part of the Harrison Avenue streetscape project.
After months of delays to better coordinate with the marina redevelopment project, work is picking back up on the streetscape this week, starting with a private meeting between the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), city officials and consultants.
“It was on hold for quite awhile,” said new CRA Director Jared Jones. “We plan to work in time with the marina developers and be flexible, but we know the citizens want to see something happen.”
Originally, the hope was construction would begin in early 2017, but due to the delays, Jones said, it is more likely to start in the late spring or early summer. The designs, which are 60 percent complete, call for wider sidewalks to accommodate outside dining and shopping, a roundabout at the intersection of Fourth Street and Harrison, and parallel parking.